Bent Reality
Darkest Before Dawn
Dusk. The wind had a chill to it and the glare the two women were giving each other just added to the frost.
Kikyo had given Kagome a bow and they were both standing several yards from one another pointing bows at each other. Inuyasha sat on the broken porch with Petra standing in the doorway behind him. "They're going to kill each other!" she wailed.
"Hush!" Inuyasha yelled.
She did, but whimpered every now and then.
"Kikyo! You're time has passed to walk this earth!" Kagome yelled.
"Wrong my dear girl, it is only just starting. What about you, this is not the time you belong in!" Kikyo's bow shook slightly.
"Kikyo! Listen to me! It doesn't have to end this way." Kagome squinted.
"Sorry," Kikyo pulled her bow back. "This is the only way." She released the arrow and Kagome made no attempt to move.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled.
****
"Naraku!" Miroku burst into a room with Shippo and Kirara on his heels. They had been waiting right outside the moss room, tied and gagged.
Naraku stood up, slightly surprised. "Oh my, my, my." He rubbed his hands together. Sango was squirming like mad on the ground. Her eyes were squeezed tight together in her attempts.
"Sango!" Miroku reached out to her but did not move closer. Naraku laughed.
"I should have guessed as much!" he said. "You have much will to live." Naraku looked at Sango. "Bet you it is because of this spring blossom." He kicked her and she grunted and stopped squirming.
"Naraku…" Miroku growled.
Naraku shook his head and picked Sango up by her chin. She held her eyes closed and Miroku could see tears running down her cheeks. "Even the strongest of souls can break." Naraku said seeing the tears on her face. He pulled her close to his body and she grunted and opened her eyes, pain shown in them.
Naraku dropped her and Miroku saw blood drenching the ropes and her shirt. Then he looked to Naraku and saw a bloody knife in his hands.
"I was going to do it sooner, but I wanted to see the look on your face." Naraku smirked. "I must say it was worth the wait."
"Why you!" Miroku charged at Naraku and cut him in half with his staff. A small wooden statue flew out and broke in two. Miroku screamed.
"A puppet!" Shippo said.
Sango made a muffled sound. Miroku ran to her and removed her binds. He held her in his arms. Blood was trailing from her mouth. "Miroku…"
Miroku's eyes started to sting.
"Miroku…it was a trick…the real Naraku….he's…going to take Kikyo…" Sango looked into Miroku's eyes.
"Shh, Sango don't try and talk." He put his finger to her lips.
Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were partially closed. "I'm sorry." She breathed.
"For what?"
"Breaking my promise to not die." She blinked.
"Don't say that!" Miroku nearly yelled. "You're not going to die."
Sango smiled and with her last remaining strength leaned up and kissed Miroku on the lips. She fell limply back into his arms and Miroku held her close to him as he sat on the ground. He could taste her blood on his lips.
Kirara had transformed into her kitten state and was nudging Sango's legs. Shippo was standing near, silently crying.
Miroku's bangs hid his eyes. His head was leaning slightly over Sango's.
Shippo could have sworn he saw a drop of water land on her cheek.
****
Kagome shot her own arrow and it collided with Kikyo's in mid air. A bright light erupted from the arrows, a shock wave came, knocking both Kikyo and Kagome back. Not to mention completely destroying the hut. Kagome landed in the lake and Kikyo fell into a tree.
Kagome surfaced as fast as she could, she clutched to her bow with all her might. Giant waves were towering over her head and she was having trouble getting air. She glanced at the shore when a waved passed and saw a giant crater had formed where she had just been earlier.
'Where's Inuyasha?' she thought when she saw the hut had completely vanished. She was more worried about him than her own life. Just like she had always been.
Her clothes were dragging her down in the water. It was getting harder and harder for Kagome to keep her head above water. Her movements started to get slower and more pained.
"Inuyasha!" she yelled as her head sank under water. She reached to the surface with one of her hands, while the other held tight to the bow. She was reaching as if this was a fairy tale and someone was going to rescue her before she died.
Then she reminded herself when she could no longer see the light of the surface, 'this is no dream. This is no fairy tale.'
Kagome opened her mouth to scream but only bubbles escaped.
****
Inuyasha pulled himself off the ground and looked around. He had grabbed Petra just before the arrows had hit and had covered her with his own body. He stood up now and looked around. There was a giant crater in the middle and the hut was gone. Kikyo was tangled in some tree branches and her soul collectors had started to gather around her.
Where was Kagome?
Inuyasha walked to the center of the crater and looked around. "Kagome!" he called. No answer came.
Kikyo landed softly on the ground near him and her soul collectors flew away. "Hello Inuyasha."
Inuyasha turned and looked at Kikyo. Then he drew Tetsusiuga and glared over her shoulder.
"What are you looking at Inuyasha?" Kikyo turned around in time to see Naraku catch her in a throat lock and pin her to the ground. She quickly zapped him with her powers and he released her.
"Why you little…" he rubbed his hands. He looked at Inuyasha and stood straight up.
Inuyasha growled.
Kikyo sat on the ground and rubbed her neck. Some of her soul collectors had appeared again and were circling her.
"Ah, I see you have already taken care of your duplicate." Naraku said to Kikyo.
Kikyo said nothing and his words only made Inuyasha charge at him.
****
Kagome's limp body hit the bottom of the lake and her eyes closed. Her hand was still reaching up towards the surface as if some means of hope still remained.
I can't die, she thought. I just can't.
"Then don't…" a male voice entered her ears. Kagome opened her eyes and found herself standing in nothing but white. Everything around her was white and it seemed to go on forever. It was a mighty big change from the blackness she was used to seeing.
Perhaps I really am dead, she thought.
"Hello." The voice came again. Kagome turned around and saw a man standing there. He was wearing a blue suit and looked like an older version of Sota.
Kagome's eye's widened. "Dad?"
The man nodded and extended his hand to his daughter. Kagome took it and a wonderful sensation filled her. Her father and her were walking along a brick path with cherry blossoms lining the sides. The pedals were blowing in a light wind. It was beautiful.
"Kagome."
Kagome looked at him. He was handsome. He was just the way she had pictured him. "Yes…" she had so many questions to ask. Where should she start?
"Listen to me Kagome." He said. "You cannot die."
Kagome looked at him, all her questions were replaced with new ones.
"It is not your time. Do not give up so easy. Feel the power inside of you bloom, my daughter." He patted her on the shoulder.
"Dad?" Kagome's eyes started to water. "I've missed you so much!" she hugged him tight and she was no longer a teenager, but a young girl.
He was kneeling down and the young Kagome was hugging him around his middle, even though she was standing. She was crying onto his shirt.
"Now, there, there." He stroked the back of her head. "Dry your tears, there is no need to cry."
Kagome sniffled and hugged him tighter. "Daddy."
The cherry blossoms blew gracefully by them. Father and daughter were together at last. It was a site to marvel at.
"Now Kagome go back and put Kikyo to rest and destroy Naraku. Your mother has been worried about you." He moved her head so she was looking at him. "Kay?" he smiled.
Kagome smiled and titled her head to the side. "Kay." She said.
The wind blew really hard and a chill came over Kagome. She hugged herself and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she was surrounded by water and one of her hands clasped a bow, while arrows were attached to her back.
She had a breath of air in her lungs. She kicked off the bottom and swam as fast as she could towards the top. She broke the surface and took a deep breath in. The giant waves have disappeared, the water was calm and the moon was reflecting off the surface.
Kagome heard the clanking of metal and turned to look where the hut had once been. She saw Inuyasha and Naraku fighting. Kikyo was sitting on the ground with her soul collectors around her. Kagome swam to the shore and climbed out of the water. She kneeled on the grass for a little while before standing and walking towards Kikyo.
How dare she, Kagome thought. She just watches while Inuyasha fights. Not that she can do much…but still. Kagome stopped far enough away to not be seen. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and loaded it into the bow. She took aim-
"This is for Inuyasha's heart that you broke." Kagome said and released the arrow.
Kikyo saw the arrow whiz towards her. She didn't have time to move, to react. The arrow hit her causing another bright light to erupt and another shock wave.
Kagome felt a warm sensation over come her. 'My soul.' She thought.
It was wonderful, this feeling. It was like Kagome had never been whole until now. She felt the power, the strength. The joy of having her soul return to her.
This explains it, she thought. This explains why I had been so weak. I couldn't do anything if I didn't have all my soul. So does this mean, Kikyo's gone?
The light subsided and Kagome noticed that her clothes were no longer wet. Naraku and Inuyasha had stopped their fighting and were staring at her. Inuyasha seemed completely surprised and Naraku looked furious.
"No!" Naraku yelled and was suddenly standing in front of Kagome. She took a step back. "Kikyo was supposed to get the soul!"
"Sorry to disappoint."
"No matter, at least I was able to kill that little demon exterminator." Naraku smirked.
"Sango?" Kagome asked, shocked.
"Yeah, I do believe that was her name." He seemed to think then he reached out and lifted Kagome up by the neck of her shirt. Kagome seemed unfazed.
"Naraku, put her down!" Inuyasha got his voice back.
Kagome glared at him. "How come you didn't save me?" she asked. "From the water!"
This seemed rather irrelevant at the moment to Inuyasha, "I was busy!"
"Yeah saving your own ass." Kagome looked away from him.
"You seemed to have done fine on your own!" Inuyasha yelled.
"No thanks you to!"
"Enough!" Naraku yelled.
"I agree." Kagome turned her attention towards Naraku. She held her hand out and it was inches from his face. Kagome closed her eyes.
Oh someone please, please help me think of what to do, she thought.
Then like a movie playing, Kagome saw Midoriko hold her hand in front of a demon's face and utter, 'Purify.' As fast as it had appeared the vision was gone.
Kagome smiled and narrowed her eyes.
"What are you up to girl?" Naraku raised an eyebrow.
Kagome's hand remained just inches from his face. "Purify." She said and pressed her hand against his face.
Naraku screamed in pain and released Kagome. She remained in her place floating in the air, with her hand pressed firmly against his face.
"PURIFY!" She yelled. A bright light surrounded her.
"Oh not again." Petra muttered and covered her head with her hands.
Inuyasha shielded his eyes.
*****************************
I must say that has got to be one of the evilest cliffhangers I have ever made. Not this last one, but that one with Miroku and Sango. Not that this last one was any better.
I hope you didn't cry! My brother made a comment about when I end my stories sad like that, that I walk around the house all depressed. Now who wants to be depressed? Not me. So the next chapter will be here soon.
So Review, and keep reading!